In 2013 the European Equipment Market is forecasted to grow to US$ 3.3 billion based on the latest SEMI Consensus Forecast. In 2011, Europe's Semiconductor equipment suppliers reached 24 percent of the worldwide equipment manufacturers, up from 18 percent in 1998. Although much is contributed to ASML, Europe does have a sound and growing supply chain for semiconductor and related technologies. (more)

Waiting for the Next Golden Year--2012 Stall: Paving the Way for a Record-Breaking 2013?By Christian Gregor Dieseldorff, SEMI Industry Research & StatisticsConsumer and business sentiment has become more important than ever before in the semiconductor industry. As we near the end of the third quarter in 2012, pessimism about the economy prevails given the challenging financial situation in the U.S., a slowing Chinese economy, and the on-going European debt crisis.

"450mm Central": New Portal for Wafer Transition InformationSEMI announced the introduction of 450 Central, a web-based information service to help the semiconductor industry efficiently transition to 450mm-ready solutions and keep the industry informed of important news and perspectives on 450mm wafer processing.

The Domino Effect: Making 450mm a RealityBy Brian Trafas, KLA-Tencor CorporationContinued focus on driving Moore's law and transistor shrink is pushing the industry's best to innovate at an increasingly rapid pace. The 450mm transition and its viability are no longer in question -- and yet the industry continues to critically examine when and how to best introduce this next wafer size.

China LED Fab Industry: What Will Determine Success?After 2014, China will boast the world's largest LED epitaxy and chip production capacity base, but some fabs suffer from lack of productivity and core technology competitiveness. The fierce price war in this market has led to low profit levels for many companies.

European Equipment Sales to Hit $3.3 BillionBy Heinz Kundert, SEMI Europe PresidentWhile there is currently a new round of uncertainty in the market, semiconductor manufacturers are investing in advanced process technologies for both wafer fabrication and device packaging.

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